User Score

Quite fairly the HTC One V didn't receive half as much fanfare as the HTC One X and HTC One S when they were first announced. It has a lowly single core processor, a modest 3.7in screen, and only a 5MP camera. But if you prefer your phones a bit more cost effective and pocket-friendly, this is the phone you should be lusting after.

It all kicks off with a great design. Following directly on from its forbear, the HTC Legend (and prior to that the HTC Hero), the HTC One V sports an angled bottom section. This jutting jaw serves little obvious practical purpose and may not be to everyone's taste, but we rather like it as nice signature touch.

What really sets the design off though is the all aluminium body. Finished in a fetching anodised grey, it looks and feels great. The single piece wraps round the whole body aside from the screen and two small plastic panels on the back. These plastic sections are there to let the phone signals out and are finished in a nice soft-touch grey.

The bottom section does slide off as on the Hero and Legend but while you can access the SIM and add a microSD card, you can't remove the battery – a trend that's becoming common thoughout the smartphone world. The use of a full size (rather than micro) SIM is unlike the rest of the HTC One range, though, and may be a plus point for those looking to upgrade with the absolute minimum of effort. The microSD is also a welcome and surprising bonus. That said, it is also an essential feature as you only get 4GB of onboard storage. At least the slot will accommodate cards up to a whopping 32GB.

Getting back to the design, not only does the use of metal for the body give this phone a touch of class but so does the fit and finish. It feels solid and very well put together, and there's a real finesse to the whole thing. There are only two ever so slight things to note.

The first is the seam where the plastic cover for the bottom section meets the metal of the chassis. There's a gap that is just a gnats whisker wider than we'd like.

Similarly nitpicky is the screen which is actually raised about a millimetre or so above the surface of the chassis where it meets the jaw. This you notice as you slide your fingers from the jaw onto the screen. It's a very little thing but, it caught or attention. We suspect it may be a ruse to keep the perceived phone thickness lower by making the chassis slim and raising the screen out of it.

Features wise you've got a headphone jack and power button up top, 5MP camera with LED flash on the back, volume on the right edge and the microUSB charging socket on the left. Below the screen are the three responsive and easy to use touch sensitive buttons for navigating the device. All very simple and straighforward. Unlike on many larger phones the power button on this handset is easy to reach when using the phone one handed.

In fact one of the most loveable things about this handset is how it fits so snugly in the hand, its dimensions of 120.3 x 59.7 x 9.2 mm making one-handed use a cinch. In contrast something like the HTC One S is nearly 10mm taller and 5mm wider, and it really feels it. The only concern here is that the jutting jaw may make the bulge in your trouser pocket that bit more noticeable.

A final nice little touch is a slim LED strip that sits between the headphone jack and power button. This glows orange when charging and green when you've a notification.